Healthy Cooking Class

"Cooking with Kedian" happens every Monday morning at CHD. Clients work alongside leader Kedian to prepare a nutritious lunch for the whole day treatment program. Kedian provides guidance on meal preparation, healthy options and portion sizes, and safe food service. She is gifted at providing authoritative guidance without doing the tasks for clients. Kedian is a natural in the kitchen and clients flock to her class.

 

 

 

Art Therapy | Collaborative Puzzle

During a recent art therapy workshop, clients were presented with a large blank puzzle and asked to work collaboratively to produce the puzzle as a group. Each client was given 2-3 pieces to create and contribute to the whole puzzle. Clients were asked to think about what things they bring to the group when decorating their puzzle pieces. When the clients finished decorating the puzzle, the group assembled it together, each client helping to find the pieces that fit. This promoted a positive discussion about working together and what each client brings to the group environment. See photos of the finished puzzles here:

Chair Massage | Words from the Massage Therapist

Recently I spoke with Jen Eckard, CHD Health & Wellness's chair massage therapist, and she had this to say about her experience working with our clients:

 

"It has been really wonderful to give seated massage at CHD. I've been really touched by the happy and grateful response of the clients, and I grin when I hear them walking around announcing that they've just gotten a massage. It brings massage back into the context of being a simple human thing, a way to connect and care for each other, rather than a luxury for a privileged few. Sometimes I feel that I'm giving safe, caring touch to someone who has rarely experienced it in their lives, and that is truly good for the soul. I also really enjoy being in the CHD environment; the staff are clearly putting so much thought and care into the programs, and I'm sure it makes a huge difference in the lives of the clients."

 

 

Mindfulness Training Exercises

Exercise 3: "Describing a Photo"

Sweet, compact, grape hyacinths sway

Fragrant, firm and lasting

Bloooming at the tail of May

For a miniature bouquet's crafting

Sweet, compact, grape hyacinths sway

Concord-like an aroma strong

Blosoming at the break of day

For a miniature bouquet that's long

Exercise 4: "Describing a Piece of Lemon"

Initial taste is pucker-producing

Sunny yellow and never sweet

Saliva condenses and is conducing

But savory is tout suite!

Art Therapy | Spring Growth Drawing

In a  recent art therapy class, each client was given the directive to create either a flower or a tree. Then the clients were asked to write on the bloom/petals things that they want to grow/develop in their lives. On the stem, clients were asked to write what they will do to make these things happen; and at the roots, they were asked to write what will feed/support their growth. Here are some of the drawings the clients produced during this class.

 

 

 

Laughter Therapy

Today we had a laughter therapy group led by a certified laughter leader. Eleven clients participated (4 females; 7 males) of mixed ages and psychiatric diagnoses. The leader informed clients at the beginning that research shows fake laughter can turn into real laughter via exercises. As the hour unfolded, this was precisely the case.

The leader asked clients to think about why laughter could be good for them. Several clients stated that they thought it would help with “endorphins, increased eye contact, improves your insides, and reduces stress.”

A series of exercises progressed from small moments of joy to raucous and boisterous full-bellied laughter. The first exercise involved a “ho-ho, ha-ha” warm-up exercise, which clients slowly warmed to and which became the refrain throughout the whole class. The warm-up involved repeating the phrase ho-ho, ha-ha and following this up with a round of clapping.

The second exercise involved hand shakes and laughter. Clients were asked to move about the room, introducing themselves to one another and laughing while they shook hands. It was great to see some clients who are really plagued by anger and negative symptoms participate in the exercise. After this exercise the leader asked why clients believed children laugh much more than adults throughout the day. One astute client replied, “Because it’s not appropriate to laugh during the business work setting.”

The third exercise involved laughing while patting one’s legs and then raising one’s arms in the air. During this exercise, clients were asked how they felt so far. Three clients said that they felt “stronger; a lot better; and happy.”

The fourth and final exercise involved passing around balls of small, medium and large sizes. Clients were asked to laugh in a small, medium and hearty way depending on the size of the ball that was tossed to them. This exercise quickly turned into infectious laughter amongst group members. When an imaginary ball was tossed to a particular client who had previously been reticent to participate, she appeared to become more engaged. For some reason this exercise was more enticing to this participant. Perhaps it was somewhat less threatening to her. Another possible explanation is that she warmed up to the exercises over time.

The leader gave clients a laughter practice handout which offered suggestions for ways of integrating laughter into their daily lives and practices. One client began to immediately highlight sections of the practice handout that called to him.

All clients appeared to have a great time during the laughter therapy session. What is clear is that there was a natural progression from reserved and small laughs to a larger, communal and boisterous laughter for all.   

Art Therapy | Tissue Paper Painting

In a recent art therapy workshop, clients were asked to think about what their stress looked like and to create an abstract depiction of it using tissue paper and a mixture of glue and water paste.  Various colors of tissue on watercolor paper were used to create their tissue paper paintings. Below please find some of the paintings created by clients.

 

 

Writing Retreat | A Client's Poem

The warm summer sun feels good on your face, and the warm winds blow through your hair, and the wet sand through your toes, when you walk on the beach, on a warm summer day.